Cleaning Up After Christmas

Cleaning Up After Christmas

What was it like about this time yesterday at your house? Was it nice and quiet and peaceful? ….

Who doesn't remember the thrill of getting up on Christmas morning and racing to the Christmas tree to see what Santa brought us?  After that, there’s a great breakfast and trips to grandparents and relatives.  We usually have our traditional Christmas Tex-Mex meal. As children, Christmas morning was a magical time in our lives that none of us ever forget. As we grow older, that Christmas morning joy doesn't disappear.  We re-create that joy for ourselves, our friends and our children. Christmas morning is a time filled with exhilaration, gratitude and hope.  We still enjoy opening gifts with our family members and sharing memories with them of other Christmas mornings. It wasn't only getting and opening up gifts that made Christmas mornings special in our lives.  Those trips to church and to visit relatives, the music, the food, the fire crackling in the fireplace are all part of what made those mornings so special. So special, in fact, that we carry them with us our whole lives.

After the excitement of opening gifts come the chore of cleaning up the wrapping paper and boxes that the gifts came in.

I thought about cleaning up after Christmas…

Luke 2:19-24 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. 22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

I.          Precious Memories

I remember one Christmas where the SS class of young married couples invited the senior adult SS class to their party. We went around the room sharing our favorite Christmas memories. What a great time … what precious memories.

Assignment … write down your favorite thoughts and memories from Christmases past and present.

Start a notebook. Cherish those moments each year as you add to your collection.

a. V. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

b. John 15:20 Remember the words I spoke to you:

c. John 16:4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you.

In Hank Ketcham's comic strip "Dennis the Menace," Dennis asks his father, "Why can't Christmas ever go into overtime?" It's a good question. It's a great idea! All we could ever imagine, could ever hope for, He is. ... He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming has already transformed society but whose second coming will forever establish justice and righteousness. All this, and infinitely more, alive in an impoverished baby in a barn. That is what Christmas means-- in a place where you would least expect to find anything you want, to find everything you could ever want.

II.       Normalcy Returns

a. V.20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

b. Luke 17:22-25 Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

In "A Carol for Children" Ogden Nash picked up the rhythm of the carol "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" Two of the stanzas are these: "Oh, dimly, dimly glows the star Through the electric throng; The bidding in temple and bazaar   Drowns out the silver song.       Two ultimate laws alone we know,  The ledger and the sword--  So far away, so long ago  We lost the infant Lord."

In the Indian Ocean there is a Christmas Island; an almost lost, isolated speck of land. There is another Christmas Island, an equally isolated speck of land almost lost in the Pacific Ocean. Christmas is always an island; an island of hope in a world of despair, an island of love in a world of indifference, an island of giving in a self-centered world. Come to Christmas Island!

III.    Prophetic Name

a. V.21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

b. Matt 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets ; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

c.  Luke 10:24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." 

When Jesus was born, the whole course of human history was changed. Art, music, literature, Western culture itself with all its institutions and Western man's whole understanding of himself and his world changed. It is impossible to conceive how differently things would have turned out if that birth had not happened. And there is a truth beyond that: for millions of people who have believed since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.

Isa 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

IV.    Obedient Act

a. V.22-23 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord")

b. 2 Cor 2:9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.

c. 1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 

Residents of Wauconda, Illinois refused to let the plug be pulled on Christmas. Two water towers had always served as landmarks for travelers heading for their homes near Wauconda, Illinois. But especially at the holidays. More than 40 years ago, John Kuester, then village police chief, suggested mounting large twin lighted crosses on the towers to mark the season. The display of crosses became a tradition. But in 1989, Robert Sherman, spokesman for American Atheists, Inc., heard about the crosses. Since Wauconda's crosses were on government property, Sherman saw an alleged violation of church and state. He delivered an ultimatum: remove the crosses from the water towers or meet in court. Several town hall meetings followed. Resident Joyce Mitchell, a member of Crossroads Community Church, asked God to give her the right words and right spirit before each meeting. "The Christians in the community were united with the rest of the community--whether they were churchgoers or not--in refusing to let some outsider tell us how to celebrate Christmas." Realizing a similar case had lost in court, the residents of Wauconda opted not to fight the order. Then a grassroots group of residents had the final say. "Our business, Wauconda Boat Company, is located across from the village hall," resident Rosemary Buschick explains. "The meeting about the crosses was on a Tuesday night, and when it was over, we knew the crosses would have to come down. Then my husband, Chuck, went to the back room of the shop and constructed a window-sized cross with lights to display the next day. Will Shumaker, whose home appliance store is also on Main Street, also put up a cross. Within weeks, crosses were appearing on houses everywhere--attached to antennas, stuck in yards, beaming from trees, shining in windows. It seemed to just happen." When Joyce Mitchell drove around the village with her daughters, who were 6 and 9 at the time, she began to cry. "The media portrayed us as losing the fight, but we didn't lose. Two crosses had been replaced with hundreds. God was glorified in the end."

V.        Required Sacrifice

a. 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

b. Rom 3:23-25 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

c. Eph 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Praise God for Christmas. Praise Him for the Incarnation for Word made flesh. I will not sing of shepherds watching flocks on frosty night or angel choristers. I will not sing of stable bare in Bethlehem or lowing oxen wise men trailing distant star with gold and frankincense and myrrh. Tonight I will sing praise to the Father who stood on heaven's threshold and said farewell to His Son as He stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And I will sing praise to the infinite eternal Son who became most finite a Baby who would one day be executed for my crimes.

 Praise Him in the heavens.

 Praise Him in the stable.

 Praise Him in my heart.

Six Again

Audio Link - http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12201075458

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. He began pondering what he should get here for Christmas. They were pretty well off so she didn’t really need anything she had everything she could want. He finally asked her what she'd like to have for her Christmas. 'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror. On Christmas morning, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. He had spared no expense. He had arranged for a private opening of the park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was. And no lines. Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite  candy, M&M's. What a fantastic gift! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?" Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. ''I meant my dress size!!!"

What do you get the person who has everything?

When I was six years old, my family lived in Dover, England. As Christmas was approaching we received a big box sent by family back home in the states. One of the items that came out of that big box was a U.S. Army pedal car for me. It was a great christmas because I thought that was the greatest Christmas gift possible.

Matt 7:9-12 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Message on a Christmas Card - "If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.  If our greatest need had been for reformation, God would have sent us an innovator.  If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.  But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior."

I.          If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an Educator.

a. Matt 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them,

b. Matt 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

c. Mark 2:13-14 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.

A chaplain who was ministering to a seriously wounded soldier was requested by the dying man to write a letter to his former Sunday school teacher.  "Tell her I died a Christian because of what she taught me in that class in church.  The memory of her earnest pleas and the warmth of her love as she asked us to accept Jesus has stayed with me.  Tell her I'll meet her in Heaven."  The message was sent, and some time later the chaplain received this reply: "May God forgive me.  Just last month I resigned my position and abandoned my Sunday school pupils because I felt my work had been fruitless.  How I regret my impatience and lack of faith!  I shall ask my pastor to let me go back to teaching.  I have learned that when one sows for God, the reaping is both sure and blessed!"

II.       If our greatest need had been reformation, God would have sent us an innovator.

Matt 9:16-17 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Rom 6:4-11 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Have some of your carefully created castles been washed away? Mine have. Several times along my life's journey, I had nowhere to turn except into my heavenly Father's arms. There I remained quiet, soaking up his love for as long as I needed. Then I saw his hand begin a new creation for my life, a new direction, a new service for him and his kingdom. Waves need not always destroy. We must allow our heavenly Father to use them to redirect our lives.

III.    If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.

Matt 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money .

Matt 25:14-30  "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money , to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money . 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. come and share your master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

If a man runs after money, he's money-mad; if he keeps it, he's a capitalist; if he spends it, he's a playboy; if he doesn't try to get it, he lacks ambition. If he gets it without working for it, he's a parasite; and if he accumulates it after a lifetime of hard work, people call him a fool who never got anything out of life.

God solves the problem …

      … everything we have comes from Him and so belongs to Him. He only asks us to give a small portion back to Him!

IV.    But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior

a. Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

b. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

c.  Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

d. John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

e.  Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins “

Each year in Washington, D.C., someone rents a hall, hires an orchestra, and advertises a sing-along production of Handel's Messiah. People stand in line to get tickets. The choir numbers five thousand. They pay for the privilege of singing Messiah. Of course, it is always a privilege to sing of the Christ or to speak of the Christ. Why do we not take advantage of our opportunities to do it?

Early Christians wisely decided to celebrate the birth of Christ on a day that was already a recognized holiday, December 25. Celebrating on this day would keep them from suspicion and danger. The Romans called December 25 "The Birthday of the Unconquered SUN" because it was so close to December 21, the winter solstice. For Christians it became "The Birthday of the Unconquered SON."

Mary Had a Little Lamb!

audio link

http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=randyaly

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Sarah Joseph Hale (1830)

Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow--

Everywhere that Mary went,

The lamb was sure to go.

……………..

Mary Had a Little Lamb

author unknown

Mary had a little Lamb,

He was born on Christmas day.

She laid him in a manger bed

To sleep upon the hay.--

Angels filled the night-time sky

And they began to sing.

Shepherds heard them all proclaim

The birthday of a King.--

Wise men saw a blazing star

Up in the sky that night.

They followed it until they found

The King of love and light.--

Mary had a little Lamb,

But He wasn't hers, you know,

He was the very Son of God,

The One who loves us so.--

The Father of this little Lamb

Loved the world so much

That He sent his only Son to earth

So we could feel His touch.--

He came to give us joy and peace

And take away our sin.

So when He knocks on your heart's door, Be sure to let Him in.--

Why do I love this precious Lamb?

What can the reason be?

The answer is quite plain to see,

It's because He first loved me!

Luke 1:26-33 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

I.          The Lamb of God!

Not all my prayers nor sighs nor tears, Can ease my awful load.    Thy work alone, O Christ, Can ease this weight of sin; Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, Can give me peace within.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:35-37 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

a. The Unblemished Lamb

1 Peter 1:18-21 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

b. The Passover Lamb

The price of lambs varies from season to season and farmers listen to the radio farm reports to learn the current price of lambs. The Lamb of God remains priceless, his values never changing. "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ"

1 Cor 5:7 For Christ, our Passover lamb , has been sacrificed.

c. The Lamb of Peace

Jesus Christ exhibited a divine paradox of the lion and the lamb. He was the Lion in majesty, rebuking the winds and demons. He was the Lamb in meekness, "who when he was reviled, reviled not again." He was the Lion in power, raising the dead. He was the Lamb in patience who was "brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." He was the Lion in authority, "Ye have heard that it hath been said ... but I say unto you." He was the Lamb in gentleness, "Suffer the little children to come unto me." -   Oswald Chambers

Isa 11:5-9 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb , the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

d. The Silent Lamb

Acts 8:32-35 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."   34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

God’s Lamb - See the Lamb and the Lion. The Lamb says: simplicity, meekness, white fleece, smallness, innocence, purity, helplessness, submission to sacrifice. The Lion says: strength, size, golden mane, grandeur, courage, untamed power. How paradoxical that both images speak of Christ! Neither is a perfect image; each symbolizes different characteristics of the same infinite Person.

II.       The Lamb of Sacrifice

Under the Old Testament system, every worshiper had to bring his own lamb. If he had no lamb, he had to buy a lamb. He could not borrow a lamb. No one could give him a lamb. He had to provide his own lamb. In the New Testament everything is reversed. God provides the Lamb!

Gen 22:6-8 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

a.Throughout the Old Testament, there was requirement for a sacrificial offering to be made to God.

b. Under the OT law there was a process through which the people would find symbolic forgiveness of their sins

c.  The Sin offering Lamb

Lev 4:32-33 "'If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female without defect. 33 He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

d. The purifying lamb

Rev 7:14-17 And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb . 15 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

There's a line in the Old Testament written by Isaiah that tells the result of God's gamble, Isaiah 53:6: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way." Although God has a right to own us because he created us, he gave us the option of freedom, and we all left. We chose sin and did not love him as he wanted to be loved. In response, he chose to send out his own son to look for us, to hunt us down, to find and redeem us at a terrible cost--the cost of his own life. … A shepherd notches the ear of a lamb born to his flock and has rightful ownership. That lamb deliberately walks away. The shepherd searches near and far to get that lamb back. A long time later, he finds not a baby lamb but a grown sheep for sale at an animal auction. The shepherd recognizes his mark on that sheep's ear. He goes to the auctioneer and says, "I can see the mark. That sheep is mine." The auctioneer says, "Listen, you must bid and pay just like anybody else." The shepherd bids and pays an outrageous price, far above any reasonable market value in order to get his lamb. He now has a double right to own this sheep: from birth, from redemption. God has a right to own us as creator and because he has paid the blood of his own Son--an outrageous price far above our market value--in order to redeem us back again. -- Leith Anderson, "The Lord Is My Shepherd,

III.    The Victorious lamb

Rev 12:11 "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

a. The Wedded Lamb

O for a closer walk with God,

   A calm and heavenly frame,

   A light to shine upon the road

   That leads me to the Lamb!

Rev 19:6-9 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb !'" And he added, "These are the true words of God."

b. The Shining lamb

God is holy with an absolute holiness that knows no degrees. There is a holiness which he shares with angels and seraphim in heaven and with redeemed men here on earth as their preparation for heaven. This holiness God imparts to his children. He shares it with them through the blood of the Lamb, he requires holiness of them.

Rev 21:22-23 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

c. The Worthy Lamb

The Christian faith engages the profoundest problems the human mind can entertain and solves them completely and simply by pointing to the Lamb of God. - A. W. Tozer

Rev 5:11-13 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb , who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

What can I give him,

   Poor as I am?

   If I were a shepherd,

   I would bring a lamb;

   If I were a wise man,

   I would do my part;

   Yet what I can I give him-I give Him my  heart.